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Munich. The BMW Group is the first automotive manufacturer to launch a completely newly developed digital nervous system for all drivetrain variants and vehicle segments. It is more intelligent, more powerful and more efficient and will be rolled out for the first time in the models of the Neue Klasse. Four high-performance computers, also called "Superbrains", consolidate the computing power for the most important customer functions: infotainment, automated driving, driving dynamics, and basic functions such as vehicle access, climate control, and comfort. The four Superbrains provide more than 20 times the computing power compared to the current vehicle generation and are already designed for upcoming software and function updates, including AI-powered customer experiences.

"Technology openness is the key to BMW's success. Starting with the first model of the Neue Klasse, we will roll out the technologies of the Neue Klasse across the entire future model portfolio – across all segments and all drivetrains. This also applies to our completely newly developed electronic architecture made up of powerful 'Superbrains' and highly interconnected software platforms. This architecture allows us to decouple the development of the vehicle and software from each other. The advantage: More than ever before, all future BMW models will remain digitally up to date via over-the-air upgrades and will receive updates even from the next and subsequent vehicle generations," says Frank Weber, Board Member for Development at BMW AG.

A fundamental component of the digital nervous system is the radically simplified wiring harness. It is based on a so-called zonal wiring harness architecture, which uses 600 meters less wiring and brings 30% weight savings compared to the previous generation. The wiring harness is divided into four zones: front end, center, rear and roof. The Superbrains are connected via high-speed data connections to smaller control units, the zonal controllers, which manage and consolidate the data flow of the electronics in and out of the zones. The wiring in the vehicle is therefore zone-related and can thus be shorter, thinner, and lighter.

A crucial prerequisite for thinner and lighter wiring are the so-called "Smart eFuses". These are digital fuses that replace up to 150 traditional fuses. Smart eFuses can be intelligently programmed for digitally controlled energy distribution to components. The selective activation of components allows for the design of intelligent power modes for various vehicle states such as driving, parking, charging, and upgrading, in which unnecessary consumers can be identified and switched off. Thus, the eFuses make a significant contribution to the 20% improved energy efficiency.

The completely newly developed electronic architecture forms the basis for the next generation SDV. From the launch of the Neue Klasse, the upcoming BMW model generation will benefit from it. The first fully electric derivative of the Neue Klasse will go into series production later this year at the Debrecen plant (Hungary).

The advanced software architecture of the BMW Group builds on this new electronic architecture. With the multitude of digital functions in SDVs, it is crucial that functions can be continuously developed on stable software platforms rather than being newly developed for every new generation. This is precisely what is achieved with the Neue Klasse. In the vehicle the software platforms run on the respective Superbrains, and the vehicle functions run on top of them. The "Shared Service Layer" acts as a connecting element (middleware) and provides, among other things, state-of-the-art cybersecurity and flexible over-the-air updates. It also enables customer-relevant AI functions thanks to intelligent networking of cross-domain data sources.

"With the introduction of the Neue Klasse, we are entering a mode of software development where we achieve software continuity. This means we continuously develop software rather than starting from scratch each time," says Christoph Grote, Senior Vice President BMW Group Electronics and Software. "Based on our advanced software architecture and the fact that today our global development teams generate 130 times more software than ten years ago, we see ourselves in an excellent competitive position. More than ever, our software developers can focus on product innovations."

For the Neue Klasse, the development teams are working on well over 1,000 software modules, over 20 GB of software, and over 500 million lines of code, which will ultimately be integrated into the Superbrains and the rest of the electronic architecture in the vehicle. To achieve this, the BMW Group has established a solid foundation for future-proof and highly effective vehicle software development in recent years. Innovative methods and tools have been anchored in the continuously growing global developer network. At the heart of vehicle software development is the integrated developer environment: a tailored tool-chain called "CodeCraft." The speed and quality of development have been enhanced with the use of a variety of tools that support the software developer with generative AI. CodeCraft runs in the cloud on up to 75,000 virtual CPUs, supports the simultaneous work of well over 10,000 software developers, and records up to 200,000 software builds per day at peak times. This corresponds to a productivity increase of more than 130 times compared to ten years ago.

In the event of enquiries in the period from 11.03.2025 to 21.04.2025 please contact Benedikt Fischer (Benedikt.Fischer@bmwgroup.com). 

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Munich, Dingolfing, Leipzig. The BMW Group is systematically advancing the digitalisation and automation of its production processes within the BMW iFACTORY framework. Since 2022, the company has been testing Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) for new vehicles at its largest European plant in Dingolfing. Following successful CE certification, the pilot project is now transitioning into series operation.
In addition to Dingolfing, Leipzig is also currently being enabled to implement the AFW project in series operation. Other facilities in the BMW Group production network are set to follow in stages.

“Automated Driving In-Plant optimises our production process and delivers significant efficiency gains for our logistics,” explains Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production. “That is why we will be swiftly rolling out this technology throughout our production network.”

In addition to the BMW 5 Series and 7 Series in Dingolfing, this technology is now also being used for the MINI Countryman and other BMW models in Leipzig. In Dingolfing the new vehicles drive fully autonomously – without a driver – along a route of more than one kilometre, from the two assembly halls, through the “short test course”, to the plant’s finishing area. This is made possible by sensors installed along the route – creating the largest LIDAR infrastructure in Europe – and relying on an externally generated environment model and an external movement planner. Regardless of the vehicle's equipment options, this system controls its automated movements, using state-of-the-art cloud architecture. Parts of the technology were provided by the young Swiss company Embotech AG, which the BMW Group already cooperated with in the early stages through its venture client unit, the BMW START-UP Garage.

Plant Leipzig plans to introduce automated driving for around 90 percent of the BMW and MINI models built there, with Plants Regensburg and Oxford set to follow in 2025. The new site in Debrecen, Hungary, will also implement this technology from the official launch of series production.

Going forward, the BMW Group plans to expand its use of Automated Driving In-Plant to other areas of production, such as for driving through the testing zone and in outdoor distribution areas. Production and development experts are also working closely together to refine the technology in-house. Another key factor in expanding the technology is the increasing use of on-board technology, which will support the external sensors in the long term.

“Over the next ten years, we will log several million test kilometres with Automated Driving In-Plant in our production network alone,” says Nedeljković. “In this way, the BMW Group is once again setting a new benchmark for automation and digitalisation of its production processes – while paving the way for future applications in the field of autonomous driving.”

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Munich. BMW is the first carmaker in the world to receive approval for a combination of a Level 2 driving assistance system (the BMW Highway Assistant) and a Level 3 system in the form of the BMW Personal Pilot L3 in the same vehicle. The new BMW 7 Series therefore sets a milestone in the field of automated driving by offering a unique opportunity to enjoy the benefits of both systems in the same car.

BMW Highway Assistant (Level 2): greater comfort on long journeys.
This advanced Level 2 feature enhances comfort significantly on long-distance journeys especially thanks to its ability to operate at speeds up to 130 km/h (81 mph). The BMW Highway Assistant is an additional function of the Steering and Lane Control Assistant that can be used on motorways with structurally separated carriageways. On such stretches of road, the driver is able to take their hands off the steering wheel for longer periods and position them comfortably, provided they continue to pay attention to what is happening on the road and are able to take over the steering again at any time.

While driving in partially automated mode, the BMW 7 Series Sedan is also able to make lane changes without the driver having to take hold of the steering wheel again. This is made possible by the Active Lane Change Assistant, which performs the necessary steering movements for the overtaking manoeuvre and adjusts the vehicle’s speed as required as soon as the traffic situation permits. Plus, the driver is able to initiate a lane change suggested by this system by simply looking in the exterior mirror to confirm it.

BMW Personal Pilot (Level 3): allowing other in-car activities in traffic jams.
Highly automated Level 3 driving means drivers can take their hands off the steering wheel and temporarily turn their attention away from the road. The BMW Personal Pilot L3 feature in the 7 Series offers a whole new driving experience by enabling drivers to fully delegate the task of driving to their car under certain conditions at speeds up to 60 km/h (37 mph) and look away from the road. Highly automated systems are capable of completely taking over the driving in specific situations, e.g. in traffic jams on the motorway. This even lets drivers carry out other in-car activities, such as making phone calls, reading, writing messages, working or streaming videos. However, the driver must always be prepared to reassume control within a few seconds when prompted by the car, for example when there are roadworks.

The combination of all these driving assistance systems within a single vehicle represents a significant advance and offers a comprehensive set of functionalities for a more comfortable, more relaxing drive over both long and short journeys. “We are setting new standards in the automotive industry by combining both technologies in the new BMW 7 Series,” says Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, Senior Vice President Driving Experience BMW Group. “In the process, we are underlining our commitment to offering our customers a safe, comfortable and innovative driving experience.”

The BMW Highway Assistant and Driving Assistant Professional are both part of the optional BMW Personal Pilot L3, which is available exclusively in Germany priced at € 6,000 (incl. VAT). Drivers of cars equipped with the optional BMW Personal Pilot L3 that have already been delivered will be able to add the BMW Highway Assistant to its range of functions free of charge from 08/24.

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Munich/Sölden. To round off the year, BMW is inviting international media to Sölden, to Innovation @Summit, on the Austrian glacier. Absolute highlight: in addition to the BMW 5 Series launched in October, innovative highlights in the areas of driverless@Developement, artificial intelligence and highly automated driving will be presented. During intensive test drives under winter conditions, the smart business sedan and Driverless @Developement vehicles can demonstrate their dynamic driving qualities several times over.

BMW 5 Series impresses with unique handling on ice and snow.

In the new BMW 5 Series, the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) driving stability control, the near-actuator wheel slip limitation and the drive control are interlinked in such a way that they can flexibly coordinate and complement each other in any driving situation. The integrated application of all drive and chassis systems is the prerequisite for the excellent handling characteristics of the BMW 5 Series in winter testing. The more demanding the conditions, the more the purely electric model variant of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan impresses with the speed and precision of its control systems. It offers a harmony of optimal traction when starting off and superior driving stability when cornering or when braking, which is unique in the competitive environment. 

With the latest battery cell technology and intelligently controlled heat management, the fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology, which has been further developed for the new BMW i5, enables a long range and short charging times during stops, even at extreme sub-zero temperatures. “Powered by Austrian Engineering”: The development center in Steyr is exclusively responsible for all BMW Group electric vehicles.

Innovation in vehicle testing: Driverless @Developement, at BMW Group, increases efficiency and quality in the development of vehicles and technologies. Testing is now taking place on Austria's highest glacier, together with international media.

Since 2002, the BMW Group has been working on automatically operating test vehicles on test sites. The innovative, new Driver-less @Development program massively increases efficiency and quality in the development of new vehicles and technologies. In addition, automating recurring, monotonous driving situations relieves employees, including when testing driver assistance systems and automated vehicle functions. Increased development speed and quality improvement are achieved through better reproducibility and reduction of error frequencies, for example when comparing components. Another advantage of Driver-less @Development is the reduction of the risk of accidents and the improved health of BMW employees through physical and psychological relief.

The BMW Group will provide further insights at workshops on the topics of highly automated driving and the use of AI in the automotive sector.

Technology on the next level: Highly automated driving at Level 2 and Level 3. Automated driving workshop: today and tomorrow.

Take your hands off the wheel and temporarily turn your attention away from traffic — that is highly automated driving at Level 3. BMW Personal Pilot L3 is the name of the new function that relieves customers of the task of driving in defined traffic situations and regulates speed, distance and lane guidance for this purpose. With the introduction of Level 3 functionality in the BMW 7 Series, the BMW Group is the first automotive manufacturer to offer both a Level 2 and a Level 3 function in its product portfolio, which allows hands to be removed from the steering wheel and positioned comfortably. For highly automated driving at level 3, the BMW Personal Pilot L3 is the prerequisite for concentrating on secondary activities away from traffic. The live HD map with exact routes is constantly compared with highly accurate GPS positioning and, in combination with 360° sensors, ensures precise positioning and environmental monitoring. The live HD map is always up to date. In addition to cameras, vehicles equipped with the BMW Personal Pilot L3 also have the latest generation of ultra-sound and radar sensors and a highly sensitive 3D lidar sensor to monitor the environment and traffic conditions.

Thanks to this technology package, the BMW Personal Pilot L3 works very reliably even in darkness. These qualities are unique in a competitive environment. Automated driving at SAE level 3 increases both comfort and safety on public roads.

A particularly innovative, semi-automated driving function at SAE level 2 is already possible with BMW Highway Assist in all models of the new BMW 5 Series. There is also a unique, active lane change assistant with eye confirmation. This function in the new BMW 5 Series is primarily designed for long-distance driving, where it allows you to take a particularly relaxed posture behind the wheel. This additional function of Steering and Lane Guidance Assist provides speed and distance control as well as steering control at speeds of up to 130 km/h.

Performance boost through AI support.

The BMW Group has been using artificial intelligence for several years, for example in production for quality control, in driving assistance systems with computer vision, or indirectly when analyzing change documents or in machine translation. The breakthrough of large language models has opened up many new fields of application and is used, for example, for brainstorming in design, for generating texts, code and images in vehicle development, IT, and marketing and sales. The focus is always on the interplay of man and machine: At the BMW Group, people are at the center of everything the company does.

Please address any queries to:

Press and Public Relations

Dieter Falkensteiner, Press Officer BMW Group Innovation and Design

Telephone: +49-89-382-51813

Email: Dieter.Falkensteiner@bmwgroup.com

Christophe Koenig, Head of BMW Group IT, Digital and Driving Experience Communications

BMW Group Design, Innovations and Digital Car Communications

Telephone: +49-89-382-56097

Email: Christophe.Koenig@bmwgroup.com

Almut Stollberg, Leitung Kommunikation Innovation, Design, Technologie, Digital Car

Telephone: +49-89-382-96543

Email: Almut.Stollberg@bmw.de

Internet: https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en

Email: presse@bmw.de

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2022, the BMW Group sold nearly 2.4 million passenger vehicles and more than 202,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2022 was € 23.5 billion on revenues amounting to € 142.6 billion. As of 31 December 2022, the BMW Group had a workforce of 149,475 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.

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Munich. Level 3 highly automated driving, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel and temporarily divert their attention away from the road, will soon be available in the new BMW 7 Series. BMW Personal Pilot L3 is the name of the new function that relieves the person at the wheel of the task of driving in certain situations and controls the car’s speed, distance to the vehicle ahead and lane positioning for them. This new option can be ordered for the new BMW 7 Series (excluding the i7 eDrive50 and i7 M70 xDrive)* from December to be fitted in vehicles from next March.

Designed to assume the entire task of driving with Level 3 capability as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), thehighly automated driving function will be offered exclusively in Germany priced at 6,000 euros (incl. VAT).

This innovative technology allows drivers to redirect their focus to other in-vehicle activities when travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on motorways with structurally separated carriageways. Thanks to its particularly sophisticated sensors, this is the first system of its kind that can also be used in the dark.

The introduction of Level 3 functionality in BMW 7 Series models will make the BMW Group the first carmaker to offer both an advanced Level 2 driving function in its product portfolio where the hands can be taken off the steering wheel and positioned comfortably and a Level 3 system. The BMW Highway Assistant already offers a highly innovative SAE Level 2 partially automated driving function in all new BMW 5 Series models. The package also includes a unique feature in the form of the Active Lane Change Assistant with eye confirmation. This function is primarily designed for use over long-distance journeys in the new BMW 5 Series, allowing the driver to adopt an extremely relaxed posture behind the steering wheel. When travelling at up to 130 km/h (81 mph), this additional function of the Steering and Lane Control Assistant can take control over the car’s speed, the distance to the vehicle in front and the car’s steering.

The crucial difference between Level 2 and Level 3 is that with Level 2 (partially automated driving) responsibility continues to lie with the driver at all times. Whenever the BMW Highway Assistant is in use,drivers must watch what is happening on the road and be able to take over the task of driving again at all times. This is continuously monitored using an intelligent attentiveness camera.

The BMW Personal Pilot L3 for Level 3 highly automated driving in the BMW 7 Series gives drivers the option of concentrating on secondary in-vehicle activities away from what is happening on the road. In a BMW 7 Series with the BMW Personal Pilot L3 activated, customers will be able to edit e-mails, for example, or engage more deeply in telephone calls while travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph). They can also use digital services for e.g. streaming videos from various providers on the central display during a journey. This makes the new BMW Personal Pilot L3 the ideal solution for making good use of time spent in slow-moving traffic or tailbacks during daily motorway commutes.

Symbols appear on the display behind the steering wheel as appropriate to indicate whether the BMW Personal Pilot L3 is available. It is activated and deactivated by a button on the steering wheel. When the function is being used, the customer still has to be ready to reassume the task of driving at any time – i.e. as soon as the situation on the road requires them to or the stretch of road suitable for using the BMW Personal Pilot L3 comes to an end. Visual and acoustic signals let the driver know they have to take over control once more. If the driver does not respond as required, the vehicle is brought to a controlled standstill.

The live HD map with precise routes is permanently aligned with extremely accurate GPS location-finding and works with 360° sensors to ensure exact positioning and monitoring of the area around the vehicle. The live HD map is always up to the minute thanks to regular updates. In the new BMW 7 Series, this functionality is underpinned technologically by a new software stack, a powerful computing platform and a 5G link-up to the BMW Cloud. Besides the cameras, vehicles specified with the BMW Personal Pilot L3 are also fitted with latest-generation ultrasonic sensors and radar sensors and a highly sensitive 3D lidar sensor for monitoring the area around the vehicle and the situation on the road.

This package of technology means that the BMW Personal Pilot L3 works very reliably even in the dark. These various qualities are unmatched by any rival. SAE Level 3 automated driving helps improve both comfort and safety on public roads.

*The BMW Personal Pilot L3 is only available in conjunction with the relevant BMW Connected Drive services. The period of validity for these services is two years.